Key facts
| Awarding body | American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) |
|---|---|
| Role in certification | A post-residency exam after passing BASIC; passing ADVANCED qualifies candidates for the APPLIED Exam. |
| Format | 200 A-type, single-best-answer multiple-choice questions |
| Duration | Four hours |
| Sittings | Twice yearly, with winter and summer sittings |
| Next sitting | January 22–23, 2027; standard registration ends November 25, 2026, and late registration ends December 10, 2026. |
| Fees | 2027 standard fee: $975 ($830 retake); late fee: $1,475 ($1,330 retake). |
| Eligibility | Pass BASIC and meet the ABA’s training, clinical competence, clinical activity and practice requirements. |
| Pass mark | Candidates are assessed against an established performance standard; no single percentage pass mark is published. |
| Results | About four to six weeks after the exam |
What the ABA ADVANCED Exam assesses
The ADVANCED Exam is a stage in the American Board of Anesthesiology’s initial certification pathway. It focuses on clinical anesthetic practice, subspecialty-based practice and advanced clinical issues. Physicians take it after residency and passing the BASIC Exam; passing ADVANCED is required to qualify for the APPLIED Exam.
The ABA ADVANCED Exam page provides registration details and links to the official exam resources.
ABA ADVANCED Exam format and question count
Format and timing
The ADVANCED Exam is computer-based and administered at Pearson VUE centers. It contains 200 A-type multiple-choice questions, with four hours to complete the exam. Each question requires one best answer and is designed to test application of knowledge, often through a brief clinical vignette. Questions may reference static images; a small number may include short video clips.
| Blueprint category | Share of exam | Questions per form |
|---|---|---|
| Basic sciences | 9% | 15–22 |
| Clinical sciences | 10% | 18–22 |
| Organ-based basic and clinical sciences | 30.5% | 52–68 |
| Clinical subspecialties | 44.5% | 76–101 |
| Special problems or issues in anesthesiology | 6% | 7–16 |
The ABA administers the exam twice each year. See the official ADVANCED Exam Blueprint for the question ranges and detailed specifications.
ABA ADVANCED Exam dates, registration and fees
The next sitting is the 2027 Winter Exam, January 22–23. The following sitting is the 2027 Summer Exam, July 16–17.
| 2027 sitting | Exam dates | Standard registration | Late registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | January 22–23, 2027 | September 30–November 25, 2026; $975 ($830 retake) | November 26–December 10, 2026; $1,475 ($1,330 retake) |
| Summer | July 16–17, 2027 | March 24–May 19, 2027; $975 ($830 retake) | May 20–June 3, 2027; $1,475 ($1,330 retake) |
The ABA assigns an exam date after registration. The official ADVANCED Exam page lists the schedule, registration periods and fees.
ABA ADVANCED Exam eligibility
To register, candidates must have passed the BASIC Exam and have evidence on file of completing 39 months of fundamental-skills and clinical anesthesiology training before the ADVANCED Exam date. The required documentation includes a satisfactory Certificate of Clinical Competence covering the final six months of clinical anesthesia training in each residency program.
The ABA also requires documentation of current clinical privileges and evaluations of current practice. Candidates must meet its clinical activity requirement: an average of at least one day per week during 12 consecutive months within the previous three years in clinical anesthesiology or a related subspecialty. The policy also requires candidates to be capable of performing the full scope of anesthesiology practice without supervision. Required documentation must reach the ABA by the registration deadline. See the 2026 ABA Policy Book for the detailed requirements.
ABA ADVANCED Exam syllabus and content outline
The blueprint covers basic and advanced topics across five categories. Clinical subspecialties make up the largest share at 44.5%, followed by organ-based basic and clinical sciences at 30.5%.
Highest-weight topics
The blueprint assigns 15–17 questions each to painful disease states, pediatric anesthesia and obstetric anesthesia, and 17–19 questions to critical care. Organ-based content includes the central and peripheral nervous systems, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal and hepatic systems, renal and urinary systems, hematology, endocrine and metabolic systems, and neuromuscular disorders.
Basic and clinical sciences include anatomy, pharmacology, physics, monitoring, anesthesia delivery devices, data interpretation, regional anesthesia and special techniques. Special problems include organ donation, radiologic procedures, ethics and medicolegal issues, practice management, quality improvement, patient safety and healthcare disparities. The Initial Certification Content Outline gives the detailed topic list; the blueprint shows the exam weightings.
ABA ADVANCED Exam results and pass mark
The ABA reports BASIC and ADVANCED results about four to six weeks after the exam. It assesses candidates against an established performance standard; passing does not depend on outperforming a proportion of other examinees. The ABA does not publish a single percentage pass mark. Its explanation of exam scoring describes the review process.
How to prepare for the ABA ADVANCED Exam
An eight-week plan can follow the blueprint instead of giving every topic equal time.
Weeks 1–2: Establish a baseline and address foundations
Start with a timed set of single-best-answer questions. Sort missed and guessed answers by topic, then revisit anatomy, pharmacology, physics, monitoring, data interpretation, regional anesthesia and special techniques.
Weeks 3–4: Link organ systems to anesthetic practice
Work through each organ system by connecting physiology and disease with anesthetic implications, monitoring and complications. Give proportionate time to nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and hematologic topics, which carry substantial blueprint weight.
Weeks 5–6: Prioritise the major subspecialties
Allocate the largest share of this block to critical care, painful disease states, pediatric anesthesia and obstetric anesthesia. In question practice, identify what the stem is asking before reviewing the options; then decide which details change the answer.
Week 7: Cover the remaining blueprint areas
Review the other subspecialties and special problems, including trauma, ambulatory and geriatric anesthesia, organ donation, radiologic procedures, ethics, medicolegal issues, practice management and patient safety. The ABA’s official sample items help you see the question style without substituting for the blueprint.
Week 8: Rehearse the timing
If available, complete a timed 200-question practice session over four hours. That gives an average of about 72 seconds per question. Review the reasoning behind missed and guessed answers, and practise moving on when a question is taking too long. Include image interpretation in your review because the exam may use static images and a small number of short video clips.
For a more detailed study plan, see Anesthesia Zone’s guide to preparing for the Advanced ABA Exam.
More preparation advice: The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for the Advanced ABA Exam
ABA ADVANCED practice questions
The Final/Advanced anesthesia MCQ/MTF bank contains 1,281 questions: 855 in Anesthesia Subspecialties, 260 in Critical Care Medicine, 102 in Pain Management and 64 in Regional Anesthesia. It offers MCQ, MTF, SBA and MBA formats. Choose SBA questions when you want to practise the ABA exam’s single-best-answer format; the other formats can broaden revision but do not reproduce the ABA exam. New accounts receive a three-day free trial after email verification.
- Final/Advanced anesthesia MCQ/MTF 1,281 questions
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the ABA ADVANCED Exam, and how long is it?
The exam has 200 A-type multiple-choice questions, each requiring one best answer, and candidates have four hours to complete it. Questions may reference static images, and a small number may include short video clips.
When is the next ABA ADVANCED Exam?
The next sitting is the 2027 Winter Exam on January 22–23, 2027. The 2027 Summer Exam is scheduled for July 16–17.
Who is eligible to take the ABA ADVANCED Exam?
Candidates must have passed the BASIC Exam and meet the ABA’s training, clinical competence, clinical activity and practice requirements. The policy requires 39 months of fundamental-skills and clinical anesthesiology training before the exam date, with supporting documentation.
What is the ABA ADVANCED Exam pass mark?
The ABA does not publish a single percentage pass mark. It assesses candidates against an established performance standard rather than deciding who passes by comparing candidates with one another.
Where can I find the ABA ADVANCED Exam content outline?
The ABA ADVANCED Exam page links to the exam blueprint and Initial Certification Content Outline. The blueprint gives category weightings and question ranges; the outline lists the detailed subject areas.
Are ABA ADVANCED sample questions available?
Yes. The ABA links sample items from its ADVANCED Exam page. Use them to become familiar with the exam’s single-best-answer style; do not treat a small sample set as a complete syllabus.
References
Exam rules, dates and fees change. Always confirm the details with the awarding body before you apply.